Making money online with your own freelance writing business definitely takes a little work. But you don't have to be a wizard to do it.
Case in point: me.
In today's article, I'll break down exactly what you need to do to make money as a freelance writer.
There are a lot of influencers on TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn who make it seem like freelance writing is easy to get into. If you buy their course, "You'll start making $10,000/month in no time!"
They're selling pipe dreams. There's no such thing as a 'get rich quick' scheme. And if there were, freelance writing wouldn't be it.
Successful freelance writers (myself included) work hard for it. Before you get paid to write, remember these four things:
If you can handle those four things, congrats. You're ready to begin a prosperous freelance writing career.
The steps below logically progress from one to the next. At #1, you’re a beginner. By #10, you’re a grandmaster.
Each step of the way, you’re making more money than the last.
Every writer starts with freelance writing gigs. That's how you get your reps in, and it weeds out people who aren't cut out for it.
The most common platforms are:
Look for entry-level job postings like the one below and apply to them.
With jobs like these, you can make a couple thousand bucks per month. That’ll pay the bills while you hone your skills.
That said, I wouldn't stick with Upwork/Fiverr for too long.
A few years ago, you could make a six-figure income on freelancer platforms alone. But they've built a reputation as marketplaces for cheap labor (usually from a third-world country). Based on what I've seen from algorithm updates and heard from other freelancers, they've doubled down on this.
So, you're going to work (primarily) with cheap clients who don't respect you. They'll penny-pinch for everything, give you ridiculous amounts of revisions, and know so little about marketing that it'll piss you off.
This is a good thing. It'll teach you valuable lessons about selling writing services:
Plus, you'll be 100x more grateful and motivated once you move past.
You can also try your luck with job boards like ProBlogger for more stable gigs.
Just keep in mind that, without experience, these writing jobs are a harder sell.
Alternatively, find clients yourself (you’ll need to later on, anyway). Read this section of my article about building a portfolio with no experience to learn how.
To get past the first stage, learn everything you can about copywriting in tandem with building your writing portfolio.
Keep in mind: You already know how to write. By first grade, everyone does. Copywriting is understanding why people buy things or connect with a particular message.
That last one is CRUCIAL. Remember, writing is like any other skill; it takes practice to get better at it.
For more context, I have an entire article where I break down how to get better at copywriting.
A lot of people think a writing niche is a particular industry you write for (e.g., travel, ecommerce, SaaS). It's deeper than that.
A copywriting niche is the intersection of:
Once you have a niche, you'll gain three things:
My niche is Twitter ghostwriting. Once I decided I was going to grow others' Twitter accounts, I became obsessed. I worked faster, drove more results for my clients, and was able to charge up to $12,000/month for my services.
Up until now, you're taking whatever job you can get. With a little momentum, you can be more selective.
An ideal client is someone who:
By this point, you should know who these people are and how to vet them.
I work with CEOs, Twitter influencers, and successful business owners. They trust me because I've built a personal brand around Twitter marketing. They're already on Twitter, so they know the value of growing their account.
When you succeed for an ideal client and develop a relationship, that's your big break.
Once you publish their results, you have two things going for you:
To get a case study, put your writing as close to the money as possible from day one. Track a metric over time, and set up an attribution model to credit your copy.
This could be:
At this stage, raise your rates (proportional to the results you drive).
And, get client testimonials like these:
While others are doom scrolling, you can build relationships and credibility with people in the same industry.
I've amassed 250,000 followers on Twitter. And...let's just say I'm not doing cold outreach anymore.
To start, pick one of the two:
Once you have your niche, create a personal brand around your story and profession.
Here's what that means:
You can dissect my Twitter to get a feel for what I mean.
Through your growing network and personal brand, you'll start seeing other opportunities.
Treat social media like a second business, and you'll diversify your freelance writing income.
It goes down in the DMs.
With a proven track record of success under your belt and a decent-looking social media profile, you can sell your writing services with confidence (and more success).
If you're worried, don't be. This is your competition:
A little personalization goes a long way.
Also, pay attention to who engages your content. A prospect might like one of your posts or follow you, which is an automatic invitation to DM them.
Running your own blog is fantastic because:
Newsletters are also great because they entertain and educate your audience. You can also use them to sell digital products (your own or affiliates).
To get a feel for how freelance writers run their newsletters, subscribe to mine and analyze it.
I always say freelance writing is the gateway to a lifetime of entrepreneurship. It teaches you valuable lessons about business, but you'll always trade your time for money.
You have to diversify.
As a writer, your best move is to find what worked in your journey, then teach it to writers 2 steps behind you.
Create those in one instance, then sell them forever.
Businesses pay freelance writers a fraction of the value they create. For you, the possibilities are endless. Read my newsletter, where I give 11,000+ others my best insights about writing and business.
I show you how to build a high-paying creative business without doing work you hate.